Coastal erosion and protection dominated the Town Council's agenda this season as much if not more than any other issue, bringing both success and frustration.

On one hand, the town secured a federal commitment of $1.8 million to rehabilitate the sand transfer plant on Singer Island. During his state-of-the-town speech in April, Mayor Jack McDonald called that the biggest news of the year.

On the other hand, the town's failure to reconstruct the badly eroded Reach 8 shoreline in the South End was its most bitter disappointment in 2007-08.

After four years of effort, the town obtained a federal commitment of nearly $2 million to renovate the plant, built in 1958. It was accomplished through four lobbying trips to Washington, the help of a professional lobbyist and support from the town's congressional representatives. The town will design and take construction bids this year, with construction expected in early 2009.

The plant pumps sand beneath the inlet onto Palm Beach's shoreline to compensate for the loss of downdrift sand blocked by the inlet. It also is used to reduce shoaling in the port's navigation channel.

Much of the equipment at the plant is obsolete and prone to breakdowns.

The renovation is not intended to increase the plant's pumping capacity but will make it perform more efficiently and reliably, the town has said.

Success was more elusive with Reach 8. Even a November visit from Gov. Charlie Crist — who told the town to "keep the faith" — wasn't enough to guarantee state and federal environmental permits needed for the Reach 8 work.

In February it looked like those permits might be able to come through after more than two years of environmental study.

But then an environmental challenge, brought before the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in mid-March, delayed the town's plans to rebuild the beach until November at the earliest.

The work cannot be done between May 1 and Oct. 31 because of sea-turtle nesting season.

The Surfrider Foundation, Snook Foundation and three individuals filed a petition with the state alleging the beach fill project would harm marine life and water quality.

The town says the beach has not recovered from erosion that occurred during the hurricanes of 2004 and 2005, and that oceanfront properties are vulnerable to wave damage.

The town said it has done more than enough to mitigate for environmental impacts, most notably agreeing to a DEP requirement that it build an 8-acre artificial reef to replace habitat that would be covered by the dredged sand.

The Town Council authorized up to $300,000 to fight the challenge. A hearing has been scheduled before an administrative judge on Aug. 25.

The town proposes to dredge and place 639,500 cubic yards of sand to restore the 1.3 miles of eroded shoreline. Another 84,700 cubic yards would be used to restore the dune system in front of six condominiums on the beach immediately south of Reach 8. The council decided to cut the southernmost half-mile out of the Reach 8 application after being advised that nearshore reef in that area would make it difficult if not impossible to obtain environmental permits.